IS-2
, , |upkeep = |prereq = All Support Barracks and Tank Hall upgrades |production_struc = Soviet Tank Hall |primary_weapon = 122mm D25-T |secondary_weapon = |garrison = |health = |armor = Heavy |speed = 4 m/s |num_products = |produces = |num_abilities = |abilities = |num_upgrades = |upgrades = }} The Iosef Stalin 2 is a heavy tank fielded by the USSR in Company of Heroes: Eastern Front and Company of Heroes 2. Overview The development of the Iosif Stalin series started as an attempt to further refine the Kliment Voroshilov (KV) line of heavy tanks, which proved almost invulnerable early in the war, but were notoriously under-armed and cumbersome compared to newer German developments. The IS series relied on the chassis of the proposed KV-13 "heavy medium" tank, but eventually introduced improved armour layout schemes and an 85 mm gun (hence the original design was the IS-85) - which quickly came to be considered insufficient for a heavy tank that engages targets head-on, due to the introduction of the Tiger I, and ended up used on the T-34/85. However, the larger 107 mm cannon that had undergone acceptance trials in 1941 was no longer implementable due to lack of shell production facilities. Instead, statistics accumulated during the Battle of Kursk showed that towed corps-level A-19 121.9 mm cannons were used against the new German armour to frightening effect (even an HE shell could rip off the front armour plate of a Panther); installation of this gun into the IS-85 turret proved trivial thanks to a common cradle design, resulting in the IS-2 - a breakthrough tank that excelled in urban assaults as well as close-range armour battles. Weapons 122 mm D25-T This 122 mm gun of the IS-2/3 shots every 8.5 seconds, and drains 137 points of damage everytime it hits; it has a 2 meter blast radius, making it an effective anti-infantry cannon. As it was not developed as an anti-tank gun, the D25 uses separate powder charges and is slow to load. Strengths The IS-2 is armed with an 122mm D25-T gun, which is intended primarily for anti-fortification use rather than shooting tanks, and has an excellent splash damage radius as a result of the shell's gargantuan size. The thick 120mm frontal armor of the IS-2 makes it impervious to some anti-tank weapons. It has a cost of 640 manpower, 135 fuel and 12 population. Weaknesses Despite the clear advantages of the IS-2, it has several weaknesses. Because of what it can do, it will often be a high priority target for the enemy commander and it isn't rare to see an IS-2 being attacked by every anti-tank weapon that the enemy has. Being a heavy tank, it is slow and can be quite hard to manoeuver. In tight, urban areas, it can easily be outmanoeuvered by infantry. Because the gun charge and the shell had to be separately loaded by the crew, the Iosef Stalin suffers from a terribly slow rate of fire and to add to that, the gun is quite inaccurate at long ranges. A commander will often have to watch with frustration the slowly fired shells missing their targets while their tank is getting pounded by the enemy. Although the tank in itself isn't expensive, it needs several upgrades before it becomes unlocked and hence will only appear in the later half of the battle. The single greatest threat is the pak anti tank gun. Even with deflected shots, they still do decent damage and as such, the IS-2 should not be expected to act like an unbreakable vehicle. Always support it with infantry and lighter vehicles. A katyusha or three can provide nice covering fire, decrewing AT guns. SMG equipped units can also effectively storm the enemy positions with the IS-2 taking out garrisons and providing fire support. Category:Company of Heroes: Eastern Front Category:Units Category:Vehicles